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Google SEO Starter Guide [pdf]

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Re: Google SEO Starter Guide [pdf]

#31

Post by butler14 »

mbesto wrote: post #26

I read this awhile back and it's great. Curious honest question to the SEOs out there - other than present me with a strategy, is there anything specifically an SEO can offer to my site? As far as I can tell, any gimmick or scheme an SEO could do previously is now effectively non-existent since the Penguin and Hummingbird updates to Google. Is there anything outside of the standard stuff that I have to do that can ma…

Um, your question is unclear so I'm not sure exactly what answer you're looking for but, in short, yes, there's quite a lot you can do to improve your site from an SEO perspective.

Re: Google SEO Starter Guide [pdf]

#32

Post by butler14 »

jarrett wrote: post #16

I would love it if Google published an official answer to the perennial client question: "Why can't you get my site to the top of the SERPs for [insert competitive keywords here]?" My answer is usually along these lines: "Your site is competing for placement with many other professionally-built sites. If I'm doing my job properly, and so are the other web developers, none of us is or should be entitled to top placeme…

Your answer should be quite clear: that's not a developer's responsibility. Tell them to consult a digital marketing or search specialist.

Re: Google SEO Starter Guide [pdf]

#33

Post by BetterLateThan »

mbesto wrote: post #26

I read this awhile back and it's great. Curious honest question to the SEOs out there - other than present me with a strategy, is there anything specifically an SEO can offer to my site? As far as I can tell, any gimmick or scheme an SEO could do previously is now effectively non-existent since the Penguin and Hummingbird updates to Google. Is there anything outside of the standard stuff that I have to do that can ma…

Google has been using regular people like you and me as scouts for years.

We all have certain patterns and interests and the order of priorities - and Google know them all. They are the sysadmin of the Internet.

If we save a link, share a link or return to a page more than X times in $period, G. knows we think it's valuable. Multiply by the number of Google users who share $this_interest.

Conversely, any freshly created Twitter account associated with a freshly created Gmail account registered from an Indian IP has little authority in any field.

Any abnormal activity is an eyesore to Google algorithms and jumps out right away.

If your site sucks, you can't make Google think it doesn't. Fancy crap won't make your boring content look attractive. SEO today is customer satisfaction, disruption, uniqueness.

It doesn't matter any more what you say about your site - it's what actions of other people, real people, not your shills, say about your site.

This is, very roughly, how it works.

Source: SEO work since 2003, including a year as Google page quality rater.

Re: Google SEO Starter Guide [pdf]

#34

Post by hartator »

3825 wrote: post #12
doughj3 wrote: post #11

Misread as "Google CEO Starter Guide" and expected a tongue-in-cheek critique of Larry Page.

Well, your query is funnier[0] > Showing results for "Google SEO Starter Guide" > No results found for "Google CEO Starter Guide" [0] https://www.google.com/search?q="Google+CEO+Starter+Guide"

Haha, I have this thread now. GJG! Good Job Google! <3

Re: Google SEO Starter Guide [pdf]

#35

Post by mbesto »

butler14 wrote: post #31
mbesto wrote: post #26

I read this awhile back and it's great. Curious honest question to the SEOs out there - other than present me with a strategy, is there anything specifically an SEO can offer to my site? As far as I can tell, any gimmick or scheme an SEO could do previously is now effectively non-existent since the Penguin and Hummingbird updates to Google. Is there anything outside of the standard stuff that I have to do that can ma…

Um, your question is unclear so I'm not sure exactly what answer you're looking for but, in short, yes, there's quite a lot you can do to improve your site from an SEO perspective.

Let me try to rephrase. If an SEO comes and regurgitates the same tools and strategies that are easily obtainable to me, what value is the SEO adding? Are there limitless things outside of a predetermined checklist of 50 or so items that fall outside my general responsibilities as a startup founder? Which would therefore require me to outsource it? If an SEO told me that you could go build link farms and that would boost my SERP, I'd pay an SEO. Seems like a good ROI right?

My general assumption with SEO is (1) create good content and (2) make sure content is tagged correctly (3) share content.

Honestly, I'd love to be sold on why I should ever spend money on it, but given the recent updates to the Google algorithm, I can't seem to figure out why...

Re: Google SEO Starter Guide [pdf]

#37

Post by gabemart »

mbesto wrote: post #35
butler14 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Um, your question is unclear so I'm not sure exactly what answer you're looking for but, in short, yes, there's quite a lot you can do to improve your site from an SEO perspective.

Let me try to rephrase. If an SEO comes and regurgitates the same tools and strategies that are easily obtainable to me, what value is the SEO adding? Are there limitless things outside of a predetermined checklist of 50 or so items that fall outside my general responsibilities as a startup founder? Which would therefore require me to outsource it? If an SEO told me that you could go build link farms and that would b…

The most difficult part of SEO (and, perhaps tellingly, the part covered only extremely briefly and superficially in the PDF) is getting links from relevant, high-authority sources with relevant anchor text. It's more important than any other factor by a vast margin. Building image sitemaps or optimizing your custom 404 error pages pales in significance by many orders of magnitude. On-site SEO is child's play compared to offsite SEO.

Getting these links ethically is a hard problem to solve, even for a high quality site with unique content.

I don't have much connection with the world of commercial SEO, but I imagine there are people good enough at solving this problem to charge a premium and get good returns for their clients.

Re: Google SEO Starter Guide [pdf]

#38

Post by noveltysystems »

SEO has evolved however much of the published SEO advice is stuck in the past. People are proclaiming "SEO is dead"... that will only be true the day people stop using search engines to find information, more like "SEO has changed". There's a new SEO in town. What exactly is the new SEO you ask?

Check out my full answer here: https://medium.com/on-startups/f15264e5d790

Re: Google SEO Starter Guide [pdf]

#39

Post by prawn »

jarrett wrote: post #16

I would love it if Google published an official answer to the perennial client question: "Why can't you get my site to the top of the SERPs for [insert competitive keywords here]?" My answer is usually along these lines: "Your site is competing for placement with many other professionally-built sites. If I'm doing my job properly, and so are the other web developers, none of us is or should be entitled to top placeme…

Sometimes I think that rather than get tied up in the arms race that can be SEO, you're better off building a decent site and then focusing on alternative marketing opportunities.

e.g., if you're a bed and breakfast, you're not going to win on "[location] accommodation" or "luxury accommodation in [location]" because it will be dominated by directories and the like. Instead, you're probably better off making sure your listings on TripAdvisor/etc are good, make sure your service is exceptional, and then quickly respond to any negative reviews that may arise. For a B&B, I don't think I'd put much effort into backlinks or even tailored content.

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